JPH02143199A - Wall surface cleaning robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operability and to save the labor for cleaning by providing a robot main body which can float on water and a cleaning body which is provided on one end side of the robot main body and holds a cleaning tool for cleaning a wall surface rotatably. CONSTITUTION:The robot main body 10 is floated in liquid and propelled by a 1st propelling means 30 to one end side of the robot main body 10, the cleaning tool 21 of the cleaning body 20 is pressed against the wall surface until a stopper 40 abuts on the wall surface, and the cleaning tool 21 is rotated. A 2nd propelling means 60 propels the robot main body 10 horizontally at right angles to the center axis of rotation of the cleaning tool 21 while the cleaning tool 21 is pressed to clean the wall surface horizontally. A ballast means 50 adjusts the depth of the robot main body 10 to the liquid level in order to clean the wall surface. When the bottom wall surface and top wall surface are cleaned, the cleaning body 20 is rotated by a cleaning body rotating means 28.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Public Expenses for Industrial Use> The present invention relates to a wall surface cleaning robot used for cleaning the inner wall surface of a waste liquid tank or the like.

<Prior Art> The inside of the JJ liquid tank, which collects condensate from heat exchangers in nuclear power plants, requires careful cleaning because limescale containing radioactive substances adheres thereto.

As a conventional robot that cleans the wall inside the waste liquid tank,
A movable body is engaged with a rail laid on a wall along a predetermined route, and while the movable body is moved by self-propelled or external traction, water scale, etc. attached to the wall surface is removed using a rotating brush, etc. is considered.

<Problem to be solved by the invention> In the conventionally conceived Kiyom robot, it is necessary to provide rails on the wall as ancillary equipment for maintenance, which not only increases the construction cost of the wall but also reduces the wall structure. This complicates the cleaning process, obstructs the cleaning process, and leaves cleaning residue behind.

For this reason, it is necessary to clean the inside of the waste liquid tank manually, which requires full protective gear and careful management of the amount of radiation exposure, which reduces the time required for each task. It was not possible to make the length longer, resulting in poor cleaning efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wall cleaning robot that does not require a guide member on the wall and can reliably clean the wall without leaving cleaning residue by remote control. .

Means for Solving the Problems> To achieve the above object, the present invention has a robot body that can float ice, and a cleaning tool provided at one end of the cough robot body and that is rotatable for cleaning the wall surface. a first propulsion means provided on the other end of the robot body for propelling the robot body toward one end by being attached to the rotation center axis of the cleaning person; A stopper restricts the amount of pressing of the cleaning body against the wall surface by the first propulsion means, and a second propulsion device is provided on the robot body and propels the robot body in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the rotation center axis of the cleaning person. means, a ballast means provided on the robot main body for adjusting the depth of the robot main body relative to the liquid level, and a ballast means provided on the robot main body extending along the propulsion direction by the second propulsion means to move the cleaning body around the rotor axis. It is characterized by comprising a cleaning body rotation means for rotating the cleaning body.

<Operation> The robot body is floated in the liquid and the first propulsion means is driven to propel the robot body towards the −# side, and the cleaning tool of the cleaning body is pressed against the wall surface until the stopper comes into contact with the wall surface, causing the cleaning person to rotate. .

By driving the second propulsion means, the robot main body is propelled in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the rotation center axis of the cleaning person while the cleaning tool is not pressed, thereby cleaning the wall surface in the horizontal direction. The ballast means sequentially adjusts the depth of the robot body relative to the liquid level to clean the wall surface. When cleaning the bottom wall surface or the top wall surface, the cleaning body is rotated by the cleaning body rotation means.

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. ! R4 view of the four cleaning pots, Figure 2 shows the plane of the cleaning body attachment part, fs3
FIG. 1 shows a side view of the wall cleaning robot, FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the main parts of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 shows a perspective view showing the state in which a cleaning person is attached.

The illustrated cleaning robot 1 cleans the inner wall surface of a wastewater tank that collects drain from heat exchangers and the like used in nuclear power plants, and is carried into the wastewater tank through a manhole.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot body 1 of the cleaning robot 1
0 is a hollow hull made of super duralumin thin plate 89, which is formed by inserting a backing into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped casing 10a with an open top surface, and attaching an upper part 111-Ob with a fastener in an airtight state. Floating ice is now possible. The internal air pressure of the robot body 10 is controlled by an external pressure regulating valve (
(not shown) to the hose and pipe joint 10c.
be supplied via. Two cleaning bodies 20 are provided at one end of the robot body 10.

The configuration of the cleaning body 20 will be explained based on FIGS. 2 to 5. An air motor 25 is provided on the left and right sides (up and down in FIG. 2) of one end of the robot body 10, and a disk C is attached to a drive shaft 26 of the air motor 25. A back plate a made of hard nylon is attached to the disk C via a bayonet type quick-fitting/disconnecting joint 23 (see FIG. 3), and a cleaning tool 21 made of polyurethane sponge is adhered to the back plate a. The cleaning tools 21 are rotated in opposite directions (indicated by A, A in FIG. 1) by the drive of an air motor 25. back plate a
A pair of arc-shaped engagement notches d are formed in the disc C, and a pair of engagement claws 6 that engage with the engagement notches d are formed in the disc C. A guide groove a and a key groove 62 are provided inside the engagement claw e, respectively. A suppression unit f is provided on the back plate a to press the back plate a against the disc C, and the suppression unit f is provided with a guide groove 6. and an outer cylinder g equipped with a pair of protrusions g1 that engage with the keyway 02, and a clip h (
(see Fig. 3) up to coil spring i (see Fig. 3)
It consists of an inner cylinder j that is urged to expand by.

The suppression unit f pushes the outer cylinder g against the coil spring 1.
And while pressing the inner cylinder j against the back plate a, insert the protrusion g into the guide groove e.
, the protrusion g is engaged with the keyway 62 by the biasing force of the fill spring i, and the cleaning member 21 is stably fixed to the disc C. When removing the cleaning A21, perform the operation opposite to that described above.

The air motor 25 rotates at a high speed and can also obtain relatively high torque. High pressure air for driving the turbine is supplied from a supply pipe joint 27a provided at the rear of the bottom of the robot body 10, and exhaust air is discharged from the side of the air motor 25. It is led out from the pipe joint 27b through a hose to the outside of the tank. Further, the cleaning tool 21 is rotationally driven by an air motor 25, and when it is pressed against the wall surface, the liquid and air impregnated in the cleaning tool 21 are blown outward in the tangential direction by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation, and inside the central cavity of the cleaning tool 21. becomes a vacuum state and the adsorption force against the wall increases.

Therefore, even if the first propulsion means 30, which will be described later, is stopped, the cleaning tool 21 is kept in contact with the wall surface.

The cleaning body 20 is provided with a stopper 40 that comes into contact with the wall surface in order to limit the amount by which the cleaning tool 21 deforms when pressed against the wall surface. The stopper 40 is composed of a leg 42 fixed to the casing 26m of the air motor 25, and a steel ball 41 provided at the tip of the leg 1142 and moved in contact with a wall surface.

The base ends of the two air motors 25 are supported by a horizontal transverse connecting shaft 27, which is rotatably and tightly supported at one end of the robot body 10. A worm wheel 28a is attached to the horizontal transverse connecting shaft 27, and a worm gear 28b (see FIG. 4) meshes with the worm wheel 28a. The worm gear 28b is attached to the output shaft of a reversible motor 28c fixed to the robot body 10, and the horizontal movement of the reversible motor 28c causes the horizontal transverse connecting shaft 27 to rotate via the worm gear 28b and the worm wheel 28m. That is, the ohm wheel 28a and the worm gear 28b.

The cleaning body rotating means 2B is rotated by the reversible motor 28c.
horizontally transverse connecting shaft 27 by the cleaning body rotation means 28.
As a result of the rotation, the cleaning body 2° is rotated between a horizontal state shown by a double line in FIG. 3 and a vertical state shown by a two-dot chain line.

In addition, the casing 26a of the air motor 25 and the connecting rod 26
b, and the reaction force of the cleaning tool 21 during cleaning is supported by the connecting rod 26b. Cleaning tool 2
1 and the horizontal transverse connecting shaft 27 of the air motor 25 are stably supported by the reversible motor 28c fixed to the robot body 10. (see Figure 2) is displayed on an external display.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, three ballast tanks 51 are arranged in the hollow interior of the robot body 10, and the ballast tanks 51 receive ballast water supplied from a ballast water supply 'tm hand 52. Distribute and supply with f4 magnetic valve #53. Ballast tank 51. Ballast water supply pipe joint 52
．． @T11 The valve group 53 constitutes a ballast means 50, and the appropriate position of the cleaning tool 21 with respect to the water surface W (see FIG. 3) is controlled by the ballast means 50. A balance device [55] containing a large number of steel ball weights is provided at the end of the robot body 10, and assists in controlling the attitude of the four-bot body 10 by adjusting the number of steel ball weights.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a pair of first propulsion means 30 are provided on the other end side of the robot body 10, and the first propulsion means 30 press the cleaning body 20 against the wall surface, that is, the cleaning The robot main body 10 is propelled toward the #1 side along the rotation center axis of the tool 21. Each propeller 8.
30 is composed of a reversible electric motor and a speed reducer enclosed in a liquid-tight container By, a screw S attached to the output shaft of the speed reducer, and a screen H that surrounds the screen 8. The rotation direction and rotation speed of each are controlled individually. At the bottom of the liquid-tight container Y, a stopper leg 32 is vertically protruded downward, and each stopper leg 32 is connected by a cable tray 33.

A second propulsion means 60 is provided at the center of the bottom surface of the robot body 10, and the second propulsion means 60 propels the robot body 10 in the axial direction of the horizontal transverse connecting shaft 27. The configuration of the second propulsion means 60 is substantially the same as that of the first propulsion means 30.

A nozzle 70 for spraying cleaning water is provided at one end of the robot body 10, and a lighting device 80 is provided for illuminating the front and bottom of the one end to facilitate monitoring of cleaning in a dark place. An underwater television camera 85 is provided on the connecting rod 26b, and the underwater television camera 85 rotates together with the cleaning body 20 to monitor the cleaning area. Further, U-shaped contact sensors 9 are provided on the side and end edges of the robot body 10.
0 is set. The lighting fixture 80 has a space 82 formed by attaching a transparent plate 81 tilted at approximately 30 degrees in a liquid-tight state.
It is located inside.

In addition to the joints, the power and control cables and pipes for the various electric devices and pneumatics described above are led out through a receptacle 95 protruding from the bottom of the robot body 10, and are routed outside the tank. Installed power supply, compressor.

connected to the controller.

Next, the usage situation of the cleaning robot 1 in the cylindrical wastewater tank will be summarized. First, the gastrointestinal bot 1, which has already completed the necessary wiring and piping, is floated in the wastewater in the tank from the manhole at the top of the tank. The ballast means 50 is adjusted so that the cleaning body 20 takes a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the water surface W as shown in FIG. and press the cleaning tool 21 until the switcher 4o comes into contact with the wall surface. air motor 25
is activated to rotate the cleaning tool 21 to start cleaning and removing scale such as limescale on the inner wall surface, and at the same time, the second propulsion means 60 is also activated to clean the inner wall surface and remove it from the robot body 10.
Continue cleaning while moving. During cleaning, even if the first propulsion means 30 is stopped, as described above, the rotation of the cleaning tool 21 creates a vacuum state in the central cavity and holds it by adsorption to the wall surface, so the second propulsion means 60 is not activated. The cleaning tool 21 can be moved along the wall surface. Each time the robot body 10 goes around the tank, it slightly leaves behind the waste water and lowers the water level, cleaning the inner wall of the tank in a substantially spiral shape, and the cleaning body closes just before the stop leg 32 hits the bottom of the tank. The ballast means 50 is rotated 90 degrees downward.
The cleaning robot 1 turns downward under its own weight and presses the cleaning tool 21 against the bottom of the tank to continue cleaning. In order to clean the entire bottom surface, the first propulsion means 30 and the second propulsion means 60 are appropriately stopped for a few seconds after being retracted. Incidentally, while cleaning the inner wall surface of the tank, spray water from the nozzle 70 to enhance the cleaning effect. In the cleaning state, lighting equipment 80 and underwater television camera 85
It will be monitored by.

The internal air pressure inside the cleaning robot body can be adjusted,
By sending air pressure according to the diving depth, the robot main body 10, which has a thin hull structure, can be prevented from being deformed or crushed, and the entire structure can be made lighter. In addition, since the cleaning tools 21 are configured as a pair that rotate in opposite directions, the cleaning area becomes large, and swinging in the action portion is prevented, resulting in stability and improved cleaning efficiency. If the first propulsion means 30 and the second propulsion means 60 are made into units or modules, maintenance becomes easier, and if they are made reversible, the degree of freedom in running increases, and it is possible to quickly clean walls of various shapes. Be able to do it. Furthermore, by providing a cleaning water injection nozzle 70, lighting 80, underwater television camera 85, and contact sensor 90,
It can improve cleaning effectiveness, clean in dark places, improve remote control operability, and prevent damage to incidental equipment. Also, cleaning body 2
Since the 0 is configured to be driven to rotate, not only the vertical wall surface but also the bottom wall surface and the top wall surface can be easily cleaned while floating horizontally in the liquid.

Therefore, this cleaning robot 1 does not require a guide member or the like on the wall surface, and can reliably clean the wall surface by remote control without leaving cleaning residue.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the wall surface cleaning robot of the present invention, there is no need for an additional guide means for traveling on the wall surface in contact with the liquid, and the robot can completely clean the wall surface by remote control or the like so as not to leave any uncleaned portions on the wall surface. Since it can be cleaned, operability can be improved and cleaning labor can be saved. In particular, radioactive scale can be removed from a wall surface safely, efficiently, and reliably instead of manually.

Moreover, in addition to being used floating on the liquid surface, it can also be used submerged in the liquid, and can correspond to various submerged usage conditions. Further, according to the wall cleaning robot of the present invention, it is possible to safely and completely clean ceiling walls and M walls that are provided at an angle to a vertical wall instead of manually.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wall cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of its cleaning body attachment part, Fig. 3 is a side view of the wall cleaning robot, and Fig. 4 is Fig. 3. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the main parts inside, and is a perspective view showing the state in which the cleaning tool is attached. In the figure, 1 is a cleaning port (1, 10 is a robot body), 20 is a cleaning body, 21 is a cleaning tool, 28 is a cleaning body rotating means, 30 is a first propulsion means, 40 is a stopper, and 50 is a ballast means , 60 is the second propulsion means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] a robot body that can float on water; a cleaning body that is provided at one end of the robot body and rotatably holds a cleaning tool for cleaning a wall surface; and a cleaning body that is provided at the other end of the robot body and that rotates the cleaning tool. a first propulsion means for propelling the robot body toward one end along a central axis; a stopper provided on the cleaning body for regulating the amount of pressing of the cleaning body against the wall surface by the first propulsion means; a second propulsion means provided on the main body for propelling the robot main body in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the rotation center axis of the cleaning tool; a ballast means provided on the robot main body for adjusting the depth of the robot main body with respect to the liquid level; A wall cleaning robot comprising: a cleaning body rotating means provided in the robot body and rotating the cleaning body around an axis extending along a direction of propulsion by the second propulsion means.